The Silence in the Noise
by EbonyStardust
Summary: After a huge explosion in The Brew puts the girls in hospital, they discover something important. What will it take to get them of their hospital beds and out looking for answers? Set mid-season 4 and all of the couples are together. Alison is alive but they are still looking for her. Please Review if you read.
1. Nobody Is Safe In An Explosion

_This was the beginning of a story that I wrote a while ago and I forgot about it. I realised the characters could be altered to fit a PLL fan fiction. I did spend a lot of time on this so enjoy and let me know if you would like updates. xx_

Faded shadows drifted in and out of Aria's vision as she lay on the ruined floor of The Brew. Unable to move, she squinted in an attempt to recall the hazy happenings of before. She finally was able to make out the prominent features of Ezra's face opposite her. Although a deep gash above his right eye was oozing scarlet blood, his face was beautiful. Their eyes met and they gazed at each other like the situation they were in was non-existent. Knocking aside a piece of fallen plaster, Aria moved her hand to Ezra's and they held each other whilst screaming erupted around them. The dreaded noise of an ambulance siren sounded, and the two were brought back to reality: someone had bombed The Rear Window Brew, and the people inside were in danger. Grave danger.

Another large chunk of ceiling cluttered to the floor, leaving Aria trapped in the rubble. But that wasn't the thing that scared her, what scared her was that she couldn't see Ezra, and he was her only comfort in the chaos. The darkness began to suffocate her, and she could feel her breathing hitch from the dust. Then Aria began to feel it, the worst imaginable feeling; the blood. A small crack in the wreckage left a spotlight on her side. Sharp pieces of broken glass were wedged into her leg and a fragment of window was jutting out of her stomach. She couldn't feel anything.

Trying to find a way to break free, Aria desperately began pushing at her cage of fallen objects, and managed to move the armchair that was covering her shin. That was when the pain began. Suddenly a horrific wave of agony rippled through her body and caused a shriek of affliction to escape from her mouth.

The next thing she knew, Aria was blinded by the uncontrollable tears that streamed down her dirty face. Her whole body throbbed with the excruciating pain but she managed to make out the voice of an angel.

"Aria! Aria, can you hear me?!" Her sudden outburst must have alerted the people left in the building. The angel's voice sounded concerned. Aria wanted to reach out to the angel, to Ezra, and comfort him. That wasn't and option, however, as the pain just got worse. It made her want to vomit.

Deteriorating fast, Aria closed her hazel eyes and tried to block out everything. She still heard the screams, she still smelt the smoke from the fire, she still felt the pressure of the wreckage surrounding her, she still felt her torn limbs in her own pool of blood. But she tried to remain peaceful. The seconds ticked by slowly, but Aria didn't move to not provoke anymore pain. She waited.

Silence. Nothing but the unsettled tick of a fallen clock. Silence. Steady breaths came from Aria's mouth. Silence. The screams and the sirens disappeared, and Aria was alone. Silence.

Suddenly, her meditation was disrupted as the pressure on her arm was lifted off. Aria timidly opened her eyes to bright, white light. One by one the rubble was lifted off her, and she remained silent. The pain was muted and she wanted to keep it that way. Unfortunately, all that changed when the final bit of plaster was taken away and a yell echoed around her.

"Come quick! Come quick! Ezra? I found her. But she doesn't look….." Aria was forced to wake from her trance as she recognised the panicked voice of Toby, Ezra's best friend. Her breathing quickened and the pain returned, worse than ever, but she could do nothing to control it. She heard a girl crying, and she was thankful that she wasn't the only one who was in unexplainable pain. She looked around and saw paramedics rushing towards her, and she wondered why they were ignoring the other girl. That was when Aria realised that she was the girl crying, and she was writhing on the floor in agony. A sudden splurge of voices all told her it was going to be fine, that she was going to be okay. Aria wasn't listening. Despite her injuries, she held Ezra's hand tightly through the struggle to get her out of the destructed coffee shop. The only words that left her were to him. The only person she was looking at was him. The only thing she wanted was him. She wanted him to comfort her, to hold her. That's all she wished for. And when he was taken by a paramedic to a separate ambulance, more tears fell down her face; silent, angry tears.

Blood. Aria could smell blood. The sickly salty scent drifted up her nose, making her cough and splutter. Aria immediately felt someone squeeze her hand, and the touch made her muscles relax. She recognised Ezra's blistered hands from his typewriter, his fingers constantly dusty. His worried face was the first thing she saw, his cheeks wet from tears. Thankfully his wound on his forehead had been stitched, and Ezra's complexion was smooth again.

"You're gonna be okay, I promise." His words were barely louder than a whisper, but made her feel safe all the same. Although she didn't know the full extent of her injuries, Aria could feel her leg under the blankets, heavy with bandages.

"How bad is it?" She murmured, not wanting to look under the scratchy hospital blanket. Her medicine was keeping the pain at bay for now, but she knew that later she would be in agony.

"You have ninety stitches in your leg, four broken ribs and…. they had to do surgery on your stomach" He had a look in his eye liked he felt guilty, like he should've done something to help. Aria guessed what he was thinking.

"Its not your fault, its nobody's fault apart from… you know. Besides, its not like you could have turned into superman and stop the Ceiling from falling on me. Worse things could have happened, and other people got hurt too - I'm not the only in hospital, am I?"

Ezra's concerned face finally broke into a smile. "Always thinking about others, never about yourself." He was always saying things like that, complimenting Aria at the strangest of times. That's why she loved him.

Once Ezra had to leave, and her mom decided that she should get back to her brother Mike, Aria lay in her bed alone staring at the several medical charts. One on the lungs stuck out to her, with the bronchi and the alveoli spreading out like branches on a tree. Trees always fascinated her, the way the branches entwined with each other like they nether wanted to let go. She moved her eyes to the clock, but froze when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure at the door. However, those tense feelings quickly disappeared when she recognised the golden blonde hair of her best friend Hanna.

"You should never be left alone, Grenade, you make things explode when you go near them." She giggled.

"How come you're not in a hospital gown? I would've thought all of the customers would be in here after that." Aria inquisitively joked with her.

"The rest of the customers aren't as ditsy as you and know to move out the way when the ceiling is falling down." Another voice from the hallway spoke and the familiar face of Spencer Hastings appeared at the entrance to the bright room, her left arm in a sling.

"This isn't funny, okay guys? Aria's lucky to be alive and so are the rest of us." Emily's concerned face, that seemed to be unscathed from the accident, turned the laughter into silence.

That was when Aria realised that she survived just by chance. 'A' was dangerous before, but this took this stupid little game to the next level. The room remained silent as the girls exchanged glances and the same big question echoed around each of their minds:

 **Is 'A' capable of killing us?**

 _This is my first ever post so please leave nice comments! The next chapter will be uploaded ASAP and I hoped you enjoyed reading this!_


	2. The Aftermath Is Just As Bad

_Here is the next chapter. I think each one is going to focus on a different girl, the first one being Aria, and this one is mainly Hanna. Enjoy!_

 **Is 'A' capable of killing us?**

The girls stayed quiet whilst thinking about the spine-chilling answer to that question, the answer they all knew was true. Whatever 'A' has on them, he or she will keep torturing them until… they break.

Suddenly the silence was interrupted by Aria yelling out in pain. Emily immediately hit the help button while Spencer and Hanna ran to Aria's side. She screamed in agony, her hands clutching her stomach. Her heart rate was speeding up, as shown on the monitor sat next to her bed. Her breathing quickened as she tore off her bed sheets to reveal a dark red patch forming under her hospital gown. Spencer watched in horror as Aria's screams died down and her skin turned pale. Emily was clinging onto her hand like it would stop her from falling unconscious. Hanna was shouting into the corridor for doctors to save their friend. Aria slipped into the deep water that she was trying so desperately to stay away from. The thick water clouded her vision and put pressure on her limbs, immobilising her. The heart monitor was going quicker and quicker, until all the little hills shrinked to form one line. A horrific beep was filling the silence as the three girls stared at their petite friend who was dying.

A sudden flurry of doctors and nurses filled the room and gathered around Aria, forcing the others to move out of the room.

"This is all a nightmare. We're all going to wake up and Aria will be fine. This is all just a nightmare, just a… just a night… mare." Spencer recited over and over as she slid down the wall and hugged her knees, her eyes wide with fear.

"What if… What if she…." Hanna began, her face creased with worry, mascara smudging when she wiped her eyes. She didn't dare to finish her sentence and she too slid down the wall and let her head hang low.

Emily stood there. Muted tears rolled down her tanned cheeks. Her eyes kept wandering to the window, but she ripped them away every time. None of them wanted to answer Hanna's question, but they all knew inside that it was a possibility. They could lose Aria…

Hours later, after an emergency surgery had been performed on Aria's stomach, she was transferred to the critical care unit in another hospital near the edge of Rosewood. Hanging onto her life, Aria had managed to hold on for a bit longer, until she got the care she needed. Her heart had stopped beating for several minutes, and she was still unconscious when she started breathing again. Emily called Ezra when the doctors took her into the operating theatre and he rushed to the hospital. No one was allowed to visit her until the next day, so everybody went home and spent the rest of their night lying awake in their beds, preparing themselves for the worst.

Hanna awoke from the two hour slumber she had managed to lull herself into when her alarm went off. Almost falling back to sleep, Hanna suddenly remembered what had happened last night. She searched unsuccessfully for her phone under her duvet until seeing it on her bedside table. The hospital said they would call her when Aria starts to wake up, but the only messages she had were from Caleb.

"Dammit." Hanna muttered under her breath. Caleb must have heard about the explosion in The Brew, but the nurse wouldn't let her call anybody after her wound on her arm was stitched. He was in New York doing a job for some guy he knew so it would take him a while to get back.

 **I heard about The Brew, are you okay?**

 **Hanna?**

 **Hanna text me back I'm worried.**

 **Don't do this to me, your mom won't answer either. Please if anything has happened to you, call me.**

 **Hanna please.**

She went to dial his number when her mom called her from downstairs. "Hanna I'm leaving for work are you going to be okay by yourself?"

"Yeah mom I'll be fine, school's been cancelled and I'm going to the hospital later to see Aria." She shouted in response. A few moments later she heard the door slam and she threw back the covers of her bed and started to get ready, forgetting about Caleb. She jumped when she looked in the mirror and saw a blonde with mascara-stained cheeks and tangled hair; when she got home the night before she simply put on pyjamas and collapsed into bed, checking her phone every thirty seconds. She grabbed makeup wipes and a hairbrush and set to work. Half an hour later, she looked somewhat presentable, not including the thick bandage that was strapped around her wrist.

Just as she was heading into the kitchen to grab some breakfast, a powerful knock on her door scared her out of her skin. Frozen, she held her breath whilst playing out all the possible scenarios in her head: 'A' was coming to finish her off, Officer Wilden was still alive, Officer Holbrook was coming to end what they had started just a few weeks previous. However, all those horrible thoughts were wiped away when she recognised Caleb's panicked voice coming from the letterbox.

"Hanna? Mrs Marin? Is anyone home?" She remembered that he must be worried sick, and rushed towards the door. She flung it open and was greeted by a tight embrace.

"I thought I lost you. I was so worried." He spoke breathlessly.

"I'm okay. I'm so sorry I didn't call, the nurse wouldn't let me budge until she was sure I didn't have a concussion." Hanna whimpered into his shoulder.

"So you were there? What happened? Did you get hurt?" Caleb's relieved voice turned to worry when he looked her up and down to check for any damage.

"There was an explosion, and we think it was 'A'. I sliced my wrist but I'm okay."She explained quickly. Hanna knew he was going to ask about the others, but she couldn't bring herself to think about what had happened to Aria.

"We? The girls were there too? Is everybody okay?" He frantically questioned as he examined her injured wrist. He paused when Hanna's eyes started to water. "Oh Hanna…" He pulled her in for a hug when her sapphire eyes overflowed with tears and she started to sob.

"A-Aria… she got h-hurt. We th-thought she w-was going to d-d-die." Her voice shook as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks and onto Caleb's grey hoodie.

"Everything will be fine. She's gonna be okay, I promise." He murmured words of comfort into her hair between soft kisses on her head. "It will get better."

Just after Caleb spoke those very words, Hanna's phone buzzed from her pocket. She pulled it out and cried harder when she saw what the message read.

 **I wouldn't be too sure that everything will work out fine. Aria's not the only one with a rough time up ahead, trust me.**

 **Kisses, A.**

 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be posted within the next ten days. Leave me a review telling me whether you want the next one to be focused on Spencer or Emily. xx_


	3. Realisation Brings On Every Emotion

_Here is chapter 3! Sorry it took me longer to publish, things have been crazy at my school as a girl has sadly passed away. I also have my end of year exams coming up so I may be a bit slower but I'll try my best. Enjoy!_

 **I wouldn't be too sure that everything will work out fine. Aria's not the only one with a rough time up ahead, trust me.**

 **Kisses, A.**

Hanna's hands trembled as she handed Caleb her phone. His worried expression turned to pure rage when he read the text, his shoulders shaking with fury. He knew about 'A' long before this game turned dangerous, but even this was a surprise.

"What do they want from you?" Caleb muttered as he took Hanna to the couch. Once she was sat down he held her in his arms and she continued to weep.

After a while Hanna sat up abruptly. She wiped her eyes and looked at Caleb intensely.

"We're going to beat this bitch. They're gonna wish they were never born. But we need help."

Spencer sat at the counter of her open-plan kitchen, fingering the pages of the book she was meant to read by next friday. Finally, she shut _'To Kill A Mockingbird'_ in defeat; she just couldn't focus on homework right now. Sighing, she wandered over to the sink and stared out the window. It was 11 in the morning and she still hadn't heard from Toby. She knew that he was in The Brew when the explosion happened because she was with him the whole time. Her arm had been trapped under the wreckage until he had found her. Toby's worried face focused on her as he lifted her over to a paramedic, who then took her to an ambulance. That was the last she saw of him. All she wished for was for him to come back to her and hold her, but then she thought, what if he didn't even care? Had she said something to him before? Had he gotten angry, and simply left?

Suddenly, Spencer's questions were torn from her mind when a banging on the door echoed though the large room. She sprinted to the source of the knocking and silently prayed that he was on the other side. Her wish was answered when Toby Cavanaugh's lips met hers the moment she opened the door. It felt like eternity since they had touched, and her whole body warmed at the feel of his soft skin. When the kiss ended, she stared into his icy blue eyes, unaware of the single tear that was rolling down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry Spence," he spoke with a rough voice,"When I saw you lying on the floor, I wanted to murder whoever had done this to you. That's why I ran. I ran after the monster, chased them all over Philly until I managed to corner him in a car park behind the theatre. I hadn't even thought of what I was going to do if I caught them. I stopped when I saw…"

"When you saw what Toby?" spencer spoke for the first time throughout Toby's report on what had happened after he left. They had moved to the couch now, and her fingers where entwined with his. "What happened?"

"I think I saw Alison."

Spencer's mind was transported to a few weeks back, when she thought she saw Alison at the lodge. She thought of when Emily told them she had seen Alison after the wedding, when Hanna saw her in the hospital, when Aria saw her in her bedroom, when she, herself, had seen a flicker of blonde in the window of Alison's old room. That's when the puzzle slid into place, when she finally put the pieces together.

"Alison is alive." She said, her voice barely higher than a whisper. She took her phone from her pocket to read the most recent text once more. Her face had been shocked, confused, almost happy, almost. But then her expression fell, fear burning brightly in her eyes. "She's in danger, we all are. Even…." Her eyes lifted to Toby's puzzled face,"Even you."

As she said these awful words, a horrific shiver crawled up her spine and her blood ran cold. Realising his girlfriend was terrified, he did what would have been so, so wrong in this situation, but for some reason it felt right. He cupped her chin in his hands, looked intently into her eyes, and he kissed her. His lips were gentle at first, but then the feeling of need rippled through him and he found himself pulling her body into his, her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders, both feeling complete at last. They kissed for what seemed like forever,their skin never loosing contact with each other. There was no other word for how they felt other than love. It was perfect.

And all through this kiss, a new emotion wrapped around her heart, the feeling of certainty. If 'A' was going to play dirty, they would have to too. But however hateful 'A' was, however much rage the beast was feeling, Spencer knew that they had something much more powerful. They had friends, family, but most of all, they had love.

Afterwards, Spencer tapped a text into her iPhone.

 **Alison's alive. We have a plan, but you need to help us. Please.**

 _The next chapter will be focused on Emily, then Aria again, then Hanna and so on. Please review!_


	4. The Perfect Day Turns Ugly

**Alison's alive. We have a plan, but you need to help us. Please.**

"Do you think he'll help?" Toby questioned as Spencer hit send.

She sighed and started to fiddle with her wrist support. "He has to. If we want to get our hands on Alison's medical records, we have to ask him." She was getting irritated, undoing the straps and pulling her splint off her fractured wrist.

"Don't." Toby whispered. He delicately put the support back onto her damaged hand. "You're right. He's our best chance."

Spencer once again checked her phone for a response. "We need him. Wren's our best shot."

Alison. At times like this, Emily thought about her often. She thought about her soft blonde hair, her sun-kissed cheeks, her big, blue eyes. She thought about her smooth lips touching her own, her long eyelashes tickling her skin, her small hand at the nape of her neck. It may not have been obvious to her before, but now it was clear. Emily loved Alison. Despite her harsh confrontations and her mean habits, she always cared. Maybe Alison loved her back…. maybe. However, she would never know. At least that's what she thought.

Suddenly, Emily was torn from her trance. She heard a tap at her window and she stood up from her position on her double bed. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked out onto her street. Jumping, another stone hit the glass. She peered down and saw a face that she had been wanting to see for a long time. A smile beaming across her face, Paige McCullers stood on the path to Emily's front door. So thoughtful, thought Emily. Paige guessed that she wasn't allowed out after the accident. Thankfully, Mrs Fields was called into work on and emergency and was going to be gone all day.

Grabbing her dad's army jacket, Emily raced down the stairs, took her keys and opened the door. She leapt into Paige's arms and they fell in a tangled heap on the floor. Giggling, Emily pushed herself into a sitting position and felt her mouth break into an uncontrollable smile at the site of her round, coffee-coloured eyes; she had forgotten how much she loved them.

"I missed you." Paige spoke softly, her skin glowing and her hair up in a ponytail.

"Me too." Emily whispered as her hand moved to caress Paige's cheek. That made her think of her again, of when she would touch her cheek. Emily shook Alison out of her mind and focused on Paige.

They wandered through Rosewood hand in hand, Emily explaining what had happened in The Brew. Listening intently, Paige had grasped her hand tighter when she started talking about 'A'. Eventually, they arrived at their favourite spot: a rock underneath a weeping willow tree in the middle of the woods. The birds sang lovingly around them as they sat on the rock, hands still entwined. Paige spoke about her trip to California to look at a college. It made Emily realise how much time she spends in Rosewood.

After a pause in the conversation, Paige shifted herself to face Emily. "I was thinking, while I was away, about how much we have changed. I mean, i remember when you were just an innocent freshman…"

"And now…?" Emily laughed as Paige pulled a well-maybe-not-so-much-anymore expression.

"No, but seriously," After the laughter had died down, Paige turned serious, "I think I love you so much more now."

All of a sudden, the sun leaked through the luscious leaves on the weeping willow and Emily's dark hair glittered in the light. The perfect setting seemed suitable for the perfect kiss. Paige leaned towards Emily and they kissed for just a moment, until Emily's phone buzzed from her khaki jeans' pocket.

"Sorry." She muttered, embarrassed, as she pulled out her phone. She had a text from Ezra:

 **She's not allowed visitors until later. I'll text you when she wakes up.**

Emily quickly wrote a text back with her slender fingers and returned to Paige. However, when she turned, Paige had stood up and walked over to the wishing well that sat a few yards from the rock. Emily crept over and put her arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry. It was Ezra letting me know about Aria." She whispered into Paige's wavy auburn hair.

She turned around and forcefully kissed Emily again. The moment was much longer this time, ending with them both on the forest floor. Afterwards they raced to the lake that marked the end of the thick, emerald forest. The water was shimmering sapphire in the early spring sun. Small ripples rolling over the clear lake, the light breeze blowing back the two lovers' hair.

But, of course, the beautiful moment was interrupted and the glowing halo above the girls broke in two when Emily's phone once again buzzed. Choosing to ignore it this time, Emily stripped to her underwear and dived into the lukewarm waters, Paige soon following. Emily wasn't going to let anything get in the way of this. They splashed at each other, playing in the sun with the halo mended above their heads.

When they cam back to shore they lied in the heat for a while, just taking in the beauty of the day. And, for about an hour, Emily forgot about all the craziness with 'A', all the stress with Aria, all the sadness with Ali. For about an hour, Emily was calm and relaxed and happy.

Unfortunately, that happiness lasted for just one hour, because when Emily checked her phone, there was twelve missed calls from Spencer, and eight from Hanna. There was none from Ezra, which meant that it couldn't be about Aria, so what could be happening? As she continued to scroll, her heart rate quickening, she saw four texts from Spencer. She thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest when she saw the third message.

 **I have something really important to tell you please text back.**

 **Emily this is serious please answer?!**

 **Ok this isn't funny it's to do with Alison.**

 **Emily?**


	5. Happiness Comes With Many Questions

**I have something really important to tell you please text back.**

 **Emily this is serious please answer?!**

 **Ok this isn't funny it's to do with Alison.**

 **Emily?**

In a sudden panic, Emily threw on her clothes and scanned the ground for her keys. Paige sat up, startled by her mysterious behaviour.

"What are you doing?" She questioned as Emily started to walk back into the forest. Paige reluctantly put on her clothes as well and chased after Emily, confused as to why her girlfriend had decided to suddenly stand up and run away.

"Spencer wants me to go to hers. It's something about…" She trailed off, unsure on whether or not she should mention Alison, knowing how much Paige despised her.

"About what Emily?" A worried look plagued her face as she struggled to keep up with Emily. "Stop."

Sighing in frustration, Emily stopped running and faced Paige. "It's something about Alison. It must be something important otherwise Spencer would have just told me over text. So, are you coming with me or not?"

Paige paused and pondered on that question, the question that sounded to her like: are you going to come with me to find out information about my dead best friend that tormented you for years or not? "Go. We'll talk later."

So Emily ran. She ran all the way back to her house and jumped in her black Mercedes. Inside, she felt something. She knew that something good was going to happen, she had a gut feeling. Was this the day she had been waiting so long for?

Ezra glanced at the heart rate monitor for the umpteenth time that hour. His rough hands were clinging onto Aria's as she lay motionless on the hospital bed. The past twenty-four hours had been crazy, to say the least. His heart had dropped to his stomach when he received the call from Emily at eleven the previous evening concerning Aria's health. Her dad was at a huge work convection in Chicago and her mom had gone to Austria that morning with Zack and it had been planned for sixth months, so cancellation wasn't an option. In return, Ezra had been left to take care of Aria for the following two weeks, with Mike staying at a friend's house. He had been praying for hours all morning that this was all just a dream, and that he would wake up and Aria would be fine. But this was real life, and his girlfriend was in a critical condition in hospital, and that was the reality that he had to remind himself of every ten minutes.

Aria groaned under her oxygen mask, taking Ezra by surprise.

"Aria? Can you hear me?" He spoke tentatively, clutching her hand harder than ever. But, there she lay, motionless once more. Ezra slumped back in his seat and started to hum. He drummed his fingers on the side table to the tune inside his head. B-26. That was all he could think of. Maybe she would hear him and she would wake up, at least that was what he was hoping for. Then he remembered she was in a medically induced coma; she won't hear a thing. Suddenly saddened by this reminder, he stopped humming and let his hands return to hers.

"Wake up when you're ready, because I'll wait, I'll wait forever for you. I'm here, Aria. I'm never letting go." He sighed and rubbed his tired, frosty blue eyes. Maybe he should get some rest, take a nap in the stiff royal blue chair he was sitting in. Shifting his weight to a comfortable position, Ezra rested his head on his shoulder; the denim jacket he was wearing created a surprisingly soft pillow. He let his gaze drop to Aria's hands and he stayed like that.

On the verge of falling into a deep slumber, Ezra was suddenly alerted awake by a second moan from his girlfriend, except this moan was a lot more distinguished. Sweeping dark hair away from her face, Ezra waited anxiously for anymore signs of movement.

Moments later, Ezra released a breath he didn't know he was holding as Aria opened her eyes. He was met with a look of confusion from Aria, her hazel eyes wide and puzzled. She looked around her private room and flinched when she saw the drip next to her bed. She then focused on Ezra, a million questions flying through her mind all at once.

Pulling down her oxygen mask, Aria began to ask for answers. "How… What happ…. Why am I…Where am I?" She was unsure whether she wanted to know the answers to the previous questions, so she settled with one that was easy to explain.

Ezra half-smiled at her indecisiveness. "It's called the Jefferson Pulmonary and Critical Care Hospital." He didn't want to overwhelm her with questions and answers all at once.

"Philly?" Inside Aria was simply avoiding the question on the tip of her tongue.

He nodded in response, also sensing the question she was so eager yet so afraid to ask. "Do… Do you remember what happened? After I left?" Ezra tentatively asked her.

Aria desperately tried to remember what had happened after the girls came, but she couldn't. "The girls came, after my mom left, and then we realised how dangerous what happened was. And then… I don't remember. I think I saw Emily rushing towards me, her face panicked. I remember the pain and the blood, Ezra. It was unbearable. Everything was black, but the pain was still there. Why? What happened?"

Ezra had listened carefully though out this account, wincing when she started to talk about the pain. "You know how they had to operate on your stomach because the glass had left residue?" She nodded, her hands fluttering to her abdomen. "Well, it turns out it hit your pancreas, traveled up and punctured one of your lungs. That was what caused the bleeding, something to do with the large arteries that surround the pancreas. You were rushed into emergency surgery and thats when Emily called me. They've all been worried sick, we thought you were…" He couldn't bring himself to say the word.

"You don't have to think about that anymore. I'll get better, Ezra." Her hand reached for his as he leaned in to kiss her.

"I should text Hanna and the others, tell them you're awake." He whispered into her mahogany hair. "Hanna practically broke down this morning, Caleb told me."

"Have you heard from Toby? I would have thought he was with Spencer when we came to the hospital, but I don't think he was there." Aria knew that Spencer wouldn't tell them if Toby wasn't there, so the fact that she was mainly quiet yesterday meant something was up.

"I texted him this morning, but he didn't respond. Maybe he was just discharged early?" Ezra calmly suggested, but he was concerned as well. It wasn't like Toby to run away like this.

Whilst Ezra sent texts to the girls, Aria made the mistake of peeking under her hospital blanket. She quickly looked away when she saw her battered leg and the amount of stitches that were embedded in it. Aria jumped when Ezra unexpectedly gasped at his phone.

"What is it?" She asked, afraid of the answer.

Ezra did nothing but showed her his phone. The bright screen displayed a text from Spencer.

 **Toby thinks he saw Alison. Everybody's coming to the hospital now. See you in 5.**


	6. May The Hunt Begin

_Please review more because it really helps me. Here is a chapter explaining Alison. By the way in this story Caleb never goes to Ravenswood. REVIEW XX_

 **Toby thinks he saw Alison. Everybody's coming to the hospital now. See you in 5.**

The only sound Aria could hear was the rapid thumping of her heart against her chest. It felt like the walls were closing in on her, and all of her muscles had stopped working. Every ounce of blood in her body ran cold, her brain was sent into a chaotic frenzy as she tried to process what the text read. In an attempt to control the caged animal in her chest, Aria closed her eyes and took deep breaths. At last, she opened her eyes and turned to the concerned face of her boyfriend.

Aria opened her mouth to speak, but all the words clung to her throat like a child refusing to let go of his mother on the first day of school. She was just like that child; afraid of change. As much as she wanted to deny it, Aria didn't want Alison to return. She knew of her history with Ezra, and she just didn't want to face the drama and mystery and confusion that came hand in hand with Alison DiLaurentis.

"I…I don't know what to say." Aria managed to whisper. Ezra just stared into space, his forehead creased with confusion.

He tore his gaze from the blank wall and spoke. "I don't understand. Is that even possible?"

"I think we're about to find out." She nodded towards the window and sure enough there was Spencer and Toby walking to the door. She took another deep breathe as the doorknob turned. This day could change her life forever.

The door burst open and Spencer ran to Aria, giving her the biggest hug possible with all the tubes surrounding her. Toby shook Ezra's hand friendlily and pulled over a chair whilst Spencer perched on the edge of Aria's bed.

"Is everything… okay now?" Spencer asked hesitantly.

Aria shifted herself on the bed, wincing. "I'm fine. I'll be out of here in a couple days." She was aching to ask about Alison, but she thought it had better wait.

Reading her mind, Spencer looked down as she spoke. "We'll explain everything when the others get here. I think Caleb's coming as well." The brunette reached for Toby's hand and the four of them waited in silence.

Minutes later a windswept Emily entered the bright room. She too hugged Aria but was much more carefully, wary of Aria's injuries. Her face was layers and layers of questions and hope and confusion. They all knew that Emily had been hit the hardest both when Alison went missing and when 'her' body was found, so the fact that she was utterly excited and anxious for Alison to come home was no surprise to any of them.

"I'm sorry you went to my house first. I should have told you we were meeting at the hospital." Spencer murmured absent-mindedly. She received no response.

Aria noticed tears on Emily's face and wondered why they were there. Perhaps they were happy tears because of Alison. "Have you been crying?" She questioned the girl who had positioned herself on the edge of a table in the room.

"I was just thinking about her. About what it would be like if she was…" She trailed off at the end of her sentence, as if the final words would burn her tongue like acid. She tucked a loose strand from her ponytail behind her ear and began to fiddle nervously with the rips in her khaki jeans. Silence plagued the room once more.

Finally, Hanna and Caleb arrived at the hospital and charged through the room. Hanna, sporting white leggings and a fuchsia jacket, looked almost as dishevelled as Emily. Aria received another hug and the boys nodded politely at Caleb. Spencer moved to Toby's lap so Hanna could take her place on the bed, while Caleb stood behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Spencer prepared herself to explain what had happened in the past twenty-four hours and answer the questions that were in everybody's heads. "We think Alison is alive."

Ten minutes later and everybody fell quiet. Spencer and Toby had finished explaining everything and everybody was confused, to say the least.

"So," Hanna began. "She's… alive?"

Ezra sighed. "That isn't even possible though. You've been to her funeral, the police found her body."

"But we never saw the body ourselves. Who identified it?" Toby countered.

Emily piped up. "I'm pretty sure it was her mom, and surely they did a DNA test?"

"What if they didn't ever do one? Maybe they didn't have the permission from Mrs DiLaurentis." All six heads turned to Spencer in surprise. "What if Mrs D didn't want to do the test because she was covering something up?"

Aria shook her head in confusion. "Wait, you're saying Mrs DiLaurentis didn't think it was Ali?"

"It would make sense; why the autopsy wasn't released in full detail, why Jessica didn't ever want to talk about what happened." Spencer explained.

"Okay, so Alison might not be the one in that grave, but someone must be down there. Who was put in Ali's place?" Caleb's words made each person rack their brains for anybody that looked similar to Alison, or if another missing person case had been filed around the same time of her disappearance. Whether they liked it or not, Alison could be alive, and they had to figure out who was six feet under instead of her.

Hanna hadn't spoken a word since her and Caleb had left Aria's hospital room, and Caleb was concerned. Their hands brushed one and other as they traipsed to the car, but whenever he tried to look at her, Hanna was staring at the floor, her blonde hair shielding her face. Even when she climbed into the white Mercedes, she put on her seatbelt without a word and stared forward. Caleb turned off the car after starting it and turned to his girlfriend.

"Look, I know this is difficult, Hanna, but you can talk to me about it. Just don't shut me out okay?" he rotated back to the wheel and turned his keys once more.

"I don't want her to come back." Hanna spoke at last, shocking Caleb. Her sapphire eyes were still fixated on the dashboard, however.

"I don't understand. You seemed almost excited when we were driving to the hospital." He swept his long dark hair from his face, leaning back in his seat.

She finally turned to face him, her eyes brimming with tears. "You've never met Alison. I've told you so much about her, but you don't know her like I do. Alison is the most kind, caring, loyal person you might meet, but at the same time she's a back-stabbing, selfish, manipulative bitch. I told you about how I used to be really overweight, didn't I?" Caleb nodded, taking Hanna's hand in his own. "One day, I had binged on bags of Cheetos and m&ms because of my parents. Alison came over and found me crying in the kitchen, with all the empty packets on the counter. She told me I didn't have to live like this, that there was a way I could get rid of the crap I had just eaten." She took a breath, bracing herself. "Alison took me to my bathroom, and we knelt by the toilet. She showed me how I could reverse my actions by simply sticking a finger down my throat. That was the first time of many that I made myself throw up. That's how I lost the weight, and I'm not proud of it. But maybe if Alison hadn't had caught me out, then I would have lost it the natural way and not become Bulimic." That did it. Hanna let the tears roll down her cheeks and onto Caleb's shoulder as he embraced her in a tight hug. Never in a million years would he have guessed that Alison made Hanna do such things to herself. He was really regretting agreeing to help find her after all.

And, as Déjà vu took place, Hanna received a text during her breakdown in her car. The text that was displayed on her white iPhone 5c read:

 **Don't make me sorry I ever included you in the first place Hanna. Keep your secret like a good girl or Hefty Hanna will be all over the school.**

 **Kisses, A.**


	7. Confessions And Illness

**Don't make me sorry I ever included you in the first place Hanna. Keep your secret like a good girl or Hefty Hanna will be all over the school.**

 **Kisses, A.**

Suddenly, huge raindrops poured from the thick black clouds above, hammering against the roof of Hanna's car. Caleb watched silently as the water trickled down the windshield, his sorrow echoing through the never-ending flow of water on the glass. He was absent-mindedly fiddling with the zipper on his jacket, moving it up and down in time with the beat of the rain. His feelings were hidden, but Hanna's were not.

Her heart burned. It burned with sadness, with anger, with humiliation. The fire in her heart was ice-cold, her blood frozen with grief. Fury tore through her body like a blazing wave of regret and sorrow. Her plump bottom lip was quivering as quiet tears spilled down her pale face. Her hands shook with tremor, her forehead was creased with anguish. She had to do what she was told, or she'll have to pay. She felt like a puppet, the master controlling her. It was like Alison was back already. It stung. And Hanna would never forget that sting.

"Hey, you okay?" Spencer glanced anxiously at his unusually focused boyfriend. Toby was staring out the window of Spencer's bright room, whilst she tried to sort out a box of things that once belonged to Alison. She went back to examining a jewellery box when Toby didn't answer her, sighing. Giving up, Spencer disregarded his mental absence to the shock of seeing Alison.

Not much later, Toby jumped up from his place on the rocking chair he had made, obviously spotting something.

"Toby?" Nervously, Spencer picked her way through the mess on her floor and touched Toby's shoulder.

He wouldn't pull his eyes away from the window. "Look." He raised his hand and pointed at a dark figure in Ali's bedroom. The person lingered for a moment, as if they were looking for something, then walked out the door. A small gasp escaped from Spencer's lips as she stared in utter shock. There had been a flash of blonde hair from underneath the black hoodie.

"Alison?" The tiny question lingered on Spencer's tongue as her hands started to tremble. She dropped the necklace she was holding and it clattered to the floor. That word echoed through her mind endlessly and her body started to sway. Her dark chocolate eyes were fixed on the place where the flicker of golden hair had been. Darkness shrouded her vision and the terrifying feeling of fainting hit her for the first time ever.

"Spence?" Her eyelids flickered and she lifted her long eyelashes. Suddenly confused, Spencer sat up abruptly, making her head spin. Holding a hand to her temple, her shoulders were pushed gently backwards by her boyfriend. "Relax. You fainted, I think. Do you feel okay?" Toby sounded concerned, and Spencer wanted to assure him she was okay, but she wasn't.

Dizziness. Her brain felt like it was bouncing in her skull. Check. Rapid heart rate. Her heart hammered violently inside her head. Check. Pale skin. Her fingers were a sickly off-white against her burgundy sweater. Check. From what she remembered, those were all symptoms of anaemia. In seconds she was racking her mind for when she last ate. The hospital last night.

"Spencer." Toby touched her cheek softly, then her forehead. "You're freezing." She was silent as he stared at her in worry.

"I'm fine, honestly." The lie rolled off her tongue easily. "It's just… a shock. With Alison." Another lie; Spencer had been suspecting that Alison was alive for a while. "I must have hit my head when I…" She was interrupted by a probing kiss from Toby.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He questioned, his lips inches from hers. She simply nodded in response and sat up, slowly this time. He pulled her into a hug with his head resting near her chest. That was a mistake.

Toby leaned back and held two fingers to her neck. "Your heart is so quick! I'm taking you to the hospital." His expression went from loving to scared in a second.

"I'm fine I promise! I just-" Spencer gasped as she struggled to gain her breath. Another symptom.

Moments later Spencer found herself lying on the back seat of Toby's truck. It took them ten minutes to get to Rosewood General Hospital, where he insisted, much to Spencer's annoyance, carrying her into the Accident & Emergency unit. This had never happened to her before and, despite learning about it in Biology, she was terrified.

Hours later she received her test results whilst lying in a stiff and uncomfortable bed with many different wires connected to her. As predicted, she had anaemia. Toby had stayed with her the entire time, feeling willingly guilty.

She hadn't told the girls yet, not wanting to worry them anymore than they are. However, her plans of not letting the girls know about her trip to the hospital were unfortunately ruined.

Every girl received the same text.

 **Two down, two to go. You liars won't get your queen bee back, I'll make sure of it.**

 **Kisses, A.**


	8. On hold

Okay, so i was going to upload the next chapter i have been working on, but after the summer finale i HAD to write something following Spencer getting shot. The next chapter of this story won't be uploaded for a few days, I just really wanted to write about the new episode. xx


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